Which Crypto Network Should I Use to Send?
Topics
- networks
- safety
- wallets
Use the network your counterparty names, and confirm it before you send anything. The network is part of the transfer itself, not a detail you can change afterwards, so a transfer sent on the wrong chain can leave funds that neither side can recover. Georgio works on six networks, and choosing out of habit is a gamble.
What actually goes wrong when you send on the wrong network?#What actually goes wrong when you send on the wrong network?
Two failures, and the second costs as much as the first: sending a token to an address on a network that cannot support that token, and sending to an address on a different chain from the one your tokens live on. Neither announces itself, and no support desk can undo either one.
- The transfer succeeds on its own chain and the balance never appears where you expected it.
- The receiving chain cannot represent the asset, so the value sits in a form nobody can spend.
Which networks can I use here?#Which networks can I use here?
Six networks, in two families: token networks, where a stablecoin is issued on top of someone else's chain, and native networks, where the asset is the chain itself. Bitcoin and Litecoin are the second kind, which narrows their failure modes.
TRON (TRC20)#TRON (TRC20)
- A high-throughput chain issuing tokens under the TRC20 standard, and where most dollar stablecoin activity settles.
- Used to move USDT and USDC between wallets and traders at the lowest cost of the six. Addresses start with T and never work on an Ethereum (ERC20) address.
BNB Smart Chain (BEP20)#BNB Smart Chain (BEP20)
- An Ethereum-compatible chain issuing tokens under the BEP20 standard, with the same address format as Ethereum (ERC20).
- Used when the sender wants a cheap alternative with a very large token ecosystem. Because its address is also valid on Ethereum (ERC20), format alone never catches a mismatch.
Solana#Solana
- A chain that does not use the EVM account model and issues tokens through its own token accounts.
- Used by people who already hold Solana, and by anyone who finds Ethereum (ERC20) costs impractical. Addresses are short base58 strings, so a wrong-field paste is rejected quickly.
Ethereum (ERC20)#Ethereum (ERC20)
- The original smart contract platform, where the ERC20 standard is what makes a token a token.
- Used where compatibility matters most, and normally the most expensive of the six. It shares an address format with BNB Smart Chain (BEP20), so the chain alone tells them apart.
Bitcoin#Bitcoin
- A native chain where the asset is the chain, not a token on one, so there is no wrong-token-on-a-wrong-chain case.
- Used for sending Bitcoin itself, including exchanges that credit a transfer after some confirmations. Address formats differ by type, and an unsupported type strands the funds.
Litecoin#Litecoin
- A native chain in the same design lineage as Bitcoin, with its own asset and generally cheaper, faster settlement.
- Used for moving Litecoin directly, and as a low-cost option when a recipient asks for it by name. A Litecoin address and a Bitcoin address look alike to the eye.
Which network should I use for a stablecoin transfer?#Which network should I use for a stablecoin transfer?
TRON (TRC20) is the default for most people moving dollar stablecoins, because that is where the activity settles and the cost is lowest. But the correct answer is always the network the receiving wallet accepts, never simply the cheapest one, because costs differ sharply between these chains.
Why does the address matter as much as the network?#Why does the address matter as much as the network?
Every network has its own address format, so a correct network paired with a foreign address still loses the funds. The transfer reaches a valid address on a chain nobody is watching, which is why the two checks must be made together, character by character.
Why has my transfer not arrived yet?#Why has my transfer not arrived yet?
A transfer that has not appeared yet is usually normal rather than lost, because every network reaches finality on its own schedule. Confirmation requirements differ sharply between these chains, and the chain you chose sets the pace, not the app you sent from, which is why stablecoins move mostly on the low-cost networks.
What should I check before I send?#What should I check before I send?
Four things: the network the counterparty asked for, the network the asset is actually held on, the address character by character, and a small test transfer. Each one catches a different mistake, and skipping any of them is how a large amount disappears.
- Read back the network the other side gave you, written with its standard attached:
TRON (TRC20), never a bare chain name. - Confirm the asset is already held on that network, or that the route supports the move.
- Compare the receiving address in short blocks, and check its prefix and length.
- Send a small test amount on any new route and wait until it lands before committing the rest.
- Keep that test's reference until the network confirms the full transfer.
The network, the standard and the address are one decision, not three. Confirm all three, out loud, every time. When a transfer goes wrong, it is almost always one of them that was assumed rather than read.
What should I do before sending a large amount?#What should I do before sending a large amount?
Treat a first transfer on a new route as a rehearsal. Send a small amount of the same asset, on the same network, to the same address, and move the rest only once it arrives, because a test settles three questions at once and costs very little.
The TRON developer hub explains what TRC20 is, and EIP-20 defines an Ethereum (ERC20) token. If the network is unstated, or the address arrived as a screenshot, stop and ask.
What if the network you hold is not the one they asked for?#What if the network you hold is not the one they asked for?
You cannot send USDT on TRON (TRC20) and have it arrive on BNB Smart Chain (BEP20). The asset lives on one network and the transfer carries it, so changing your mind afterwards is not an option — the buy page asks you to choose explicitly, and the sell page does the same.